Category: Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper were founded in 1979, after a battle of the bands competition brought the founding members together. They were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Movement, and were one of the leaders of the movement. Their tracks ‘See You In Hell’ and ‘Rock To Hell’ inspired countless bands to form. Their latest offering is Walking In The Shadows. Join me as we dig into this new offering, and explore what diamonds have been cut.

Wings of Angels is the opening track on the album, a song about the pilots of World War Two, it brings solid riffage and a driving beat to the fore, as the lyrics evoke the feeling of what the pilots must have felt and gone through as they flew on the air, the choruses are solid and memorable, definitely a live favourite. Walking In The Shadows, the title track is next. A song about walking through a graveyard at night, the song is heavy, eerie and driving, the choruses of ‘Take my hand’ and lead singer Steve Grimmett’s vocals really lend themselves well to the song. Reach Out, is pure solid riffage, it seems like a plea for help, delivered with a kick and a punch. I’m Coming For You is next on the record, a dirty riff opens things up followed by a promise by Steve Grimmett as the protagonist to enact some sort of promise to the person of interest. It is quite a haunting song, for the riffage it produces.

‘From Hell’ is a fitting continuance from I’m Coming For You, laughter starts the song, as beating drums and a harmonised guitar intro kicks things off. Solid riffs make the prospect of hell enticing and something that would definitely make the song a live favourite, amongst fans and even casual listeners. Call Me In the Morning is a fast riff based song, that once again evokes the feeling of a live setting, and should definitely be played loudly. Rock Will Never Die is an apt title for this anthem. A statement of purpose and intent, showing why rock will indeed never die, should definitely be in the setlist. Temptation is a fast song, about all the things that could well tempt a man in the world, another song that should be included in the setlist.

Thunder starts the final third of the album. Slow and soaring, it is epic and mournful at the same time. Steve Grimmett’s voice really shines through on this track, sending shivers down the listener’s arms, this one will definitely be a fan favourite. Now You See Me is next, a solid rocker with harmonised guitars at the beginning, the chorus brings an old rhyme to the fore, and makes it sound heavy as anything. Blue Murder is another riff charger, an epic one at that, another live favourite. The final song on the album is Come Hell Or High Water, a fitting closer, fast and epic, a great way to close a brilliant album.

Walking In The Shadows does the Grim Reaper legacy proud, it is a true metal album filled with riffs and epic vocals. It is a fresh album in a time of badly produced pop and nonsense hip hop. I would give this album a 10/10 and would highly recommend it to everyone. Even if you’re not a fan of metal, you will be after listening to this album!

Grim Reaper were founded in 1979, after a battle of the bands competition brought the founding members together. They were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Movement, and were one of the leaders of the movement. Their tracks ‘See You In Hell’ and ‘Rock To Hell’ inspired countless bands to form. Their latest offering is Walking In The Shadows. I sat down with Steve Grimmett, main man and lead singer for the band to talk about the band and the album.

What inspired the name of the band, and what are your influences?

“I joined the band after it formed and had gotten its name, I was in a band called Medusa before, but from my understanding, the name Grim Reaper was chosen because of the doors it opened up image wise, for logos, album covers and band merchandise. It was really inspired the Hammer House of Horror and their whole thematic premise. As for influences, Elton John was a huge influence for me, Judas Priest, Dio and Rainbow all definitely lent a hand in shaping the sound of the band. Indeed, I believe one of the first songs we ever played as a band was Starbreaker by Judas Priest.”

What serves as lyrical inspiration for the songs?

“Definitely the Hammer House of Horror as well as different influences, life, general things that happen around the world. For a time when we started out in the eighties people thought we were Satan Worshippers for some insane reason. This was a real problem in the states, and I once spent about five hours doing an interview convincing this one bloke that no we weren’t devil worshippers. That whole thing baffled me. But thankfully, since then it’s all changed and nobody’s asked about that whole angle. As for the new album, Walking in The Shadows, the title track was inspired by a trip I took once down a graveyard, and the feeling I had that there were all these lost souls there trapped and waiting for release. Wings of Angels is based on the Second World War and the fighter pilots.”

What changes have there been to the band and the music scene since you first started?

“For the band we’ve gotten older and wiser, and naturally that influences how we do things now. But in the music scene, there’s been some big changes. If you’re a heavy metal band or a hard rock band, you’re unlikely to get signed by a major label. You likely need the support of a smaller label, but even then, you need to have a completed album, with artwork and photos and everything else done before they’ll even consider signing you and working with you. So, the use of home studios has become massively important. Social media is another big thing as well, that has changed. We use all of it, to post about the band, when we’re going on tour, and when we’ve got a new album out. We keep posting there when we’re on tour giving updates, so it’s been really useful and helpful.”

What have you got planned for the future?

“Mainly planning on taking it slow, and recovering from the surgery on my leg. We played Bang Your Head Festival in Germany in July, and since then it’s been a slow process to get back to match fitness. Finding out what I need in hotels, and on stage is also something that I’m taking the time to learn. I believe we’ve got plans to tour next year in Japan and South America, in bursts to give me time to properly recover. We’re also writing a new album for release next year, so we’ll finish that, rehearse it and then start recording.”